Former WWE Star Ilja Dragunov On His Experience Since Joining AEW: 'I Feel Freedom'

AEW's newest star, Ilja Dragunov, is excited to be part of the promotion, explaining how it feels like a new lease on life for him.

Dragunov, who was let go by WWE earlier this year, debuted in Tony Khan's promotion at the WrestleDream pay-per-view. Following his AEW debut, the former WWE United States Champion spoke to "The Takedown on SI," saying that his initial impressions of the company are great and that he felt a great sense of freedom there.

"It lets my heart beat faster, and I feel like I re-fell in love with professional wrestling in some kind of way. The experience that I've had so far is having people around me that really want to portray everything that is going on in my mind, that really understand what I'm doing," said Dragunov. "They want to enhance what I'm doing and they want to put it into the right light, what I'm doing. And I feel if you can describe it with some word, I feel freedom."

He has spoken positively about his AEW stint so far, describing it as a collaborative effort in which he and the AEW creative team have agreed on many creative decisions.

Dragunov's debut had a major hurdle as he had to renew his visa, which all came together at the last minute. His decision to leave WWE was down to the TKO-owned promotion failing to offer him a satisfactory contract, prompting him to explore new opportunities. Dragunov has started his AEW career on a positive note, defeating Mike Bailey in the main event of the October 21 episode of "AEW Dynamite."